Device for picking up golf balls for golf players



Fe). 7, I928.

. N. UYEI DEVICE FOR PICKING UP GOLF BALLS FOR GOLF PLAYERS Filed June '7, 1927 mania?" J 1% E. jf orizj.

Patented Feb. 7, 1928;. I

[TED STATES NAG UYEI, F DENVER, COLORADQ.

KIE'V'ITHE. FOB PICKING UP GOLF BALLS FOR GOLF PLAYERS.

Application filed June 7,

My invention relates to a hand operating caddy club device for picking up golf balls.

And the objects of my invention are: First, to provide a device that will aid golf players to pick up golf balls from the ground without bending over and picking them up by hand, and consequently to provide a device that will relieve the golf player of the physical exertion necessary to pick up 510 a olf ball from the ground.

econd, to provide a caddy club or golf stick, having a device at its lower end that when placed over and against the top of a golf ball lying on the ground and pressed down against it, will resiliently sprin over the ball and enclose it and hold it wit in itself, and all the golf player has to do, is to lift the lower end of the caddy club or golf stick up to his hand where he can easily and 5m quickly remove the golf ball from the golf ball holding and gripping device.

Third, to provide a simple and inexpensive and a thoroughly practical golf ball picking up device that will be especially useful and convenient in the practice work of golf play- I attain these objects by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure l, is a vertical sectional view through the center of my caddy club or golf stick, and the resiliently golf ball gripping and holding device'at its lower end.

Figures 2 and 2 are vertical side eleva- 855 tions of my golf ball picking up device,

showing it gripping a golf ball.

Figure 3, illustrates a sectional plan view of a golf ball picking up and holdlng device below line 33 of Figure 1, and

co Figure 4, is an end view of the lower end of the handle member of my device for pickin up golf balls.

imilar letters of reference refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

Referring to the drawings :The numeral 1 is a handle made of either .wood or other suitable material, but preferably of wood, and also preferably of the same size in diameter and len h and of the same tapering shape as a gol club or golf stick, and the numeral 2, designates a long metal sleeve or ferrule that is secured at one end to the lower end of the golf'club or stick by any suitable means, but preferably by splitting the lower end of the golf stick or cutting slots in it lengthwise of it for a short dis- 1927. Serial No. 197,060. I

tan'ceto divide its terminal end into three or four separate and independent end portions 4, that can be forced outwardly enough to fit very tightly against the inside surface of the sleeve 2.

There are several ways in which I can wedge out or force out these separate end portions of the lower terminal end of the golf stick, but I preferably drill a tapering hole in the center of the axial center of the ends and insert a tapering screw 5, and screw it in far enough to force the free ends very tightlyand rigidly outward against the inside surface of the sleeve, but if preferred. and also in addition to the wedging out screw, a pin 6 can be inserted through the sleeve and the lower end of the handle stick member as shown in the sectional view Figure 1.

The sleeve is made long enough to allow a portion of its length to be secured to the lower terminal end of the handle member of my golf ball picking up device, and to allow-the remaining portion of its length to 30 act as a housing and a supporting member for the. resilient golf ball picking up fingers 7, that are arranged to fit on the top portion of a golf ball and to be sprung down over it by a downward p'ressure of the handA, of v the golf player that is holding it and desires to pick up a golf ball with it.

I preferably use a plurality of flexible resiliently springing fingers 7, that are curved and arranged to rest on top of and to be no sprung down over and resiliently grip a golf ball within and between them. These resilient fingers are secured inside of the sleeve 2, the outer end 8 of which is fully open to allow the inner ends of the springs to be inserted in it far enough to be firmly, but at the same time removably secured to it, and the s ring fingers 7 can be made of any form or s ape, or wire in cross section or of coiled wire, ifdesired, but I preferably use either round spring wire or spirally twisted spring wire or a fiat thin ribbon form of clock spring, and I have preferably illustrated this flat thin ribbon formof spring steel for the golf ball picking up fingers of 106 my golf ball picking up device in Figures 1 and 2; and they are placed and secured cross- Wise of each other in the sleeve to stand at the four uarters and diameter circle of the golf ball.

' I preferably use four resiliently springing points of the fingers 7 for picking up golf balls, and I i ter of an inch wide, but they may be either narrower or wider asdesired, and also either three or five or more fingers can be'used if desired instead of the four I preferably use and illustrate.

Each one of these four spring steel fingers 7 may be made of a single piece of flat thin ribbon form of spring steel, but ll preferably use two pieces of ribbon steel long enough to fold each over into a loop 9,-at one end, and insert the looped ends 10 of the folded over pieces of steel into the open end of the sleeve 2 and secure them therein' by placing a pin 11 transversely through the sleeve and throu h theloop 9, of the ends 10 of the two folde pieces of spring steel. This arrangement allows the inner ends of the springs to be easily and quickly taken out of the sleeve 2 in case of the breakage of any one or two of the golf ball engaging fingers, by driving out the pin 11. Y

This looped arrangement of the two ieces of spring steel of which the fingers are made, makes four golf ball gripping fingers, as there are two fingers formed on the ends of each'folded piece of the ribbon form of spring steel, and at the point where they emerge from the end ofthe sleeve they are curved outwardly and then inwardly in spherical and circular form and shape that makes a circular space between them, of

I enough smaller diameter than the diameter of a golf ball to allow them to encircle and. grip with a resilient pressure, a golf ball between them when they are pressed down over it by the hand A, of the golfer; and in order that the four fingers may fit evenly around and over the top portion of a golf ball, they are curved evenly inward to rest on about two thirds 'of the top surface of the golf ball, and their terminal ends 12 are curved outwardly to form a short smooth cunve 13,

\ that will allow them to spring easily outwardly over the round surfaces of the golf ball and then inwardly and resiliently grip and hold ityvithin and between them.

The operation of my golf ball" picking up device is as follows: The golfer simply walks along over thefield looking for a lost ball, and when he finds it, he simply rasps the top of the handle portion of the device as shown, and places the resilient fingers of the device on the to aaf the golf ball as shown in'Figure 1, an then presses down on the handle pin until the resilient fin ers spring outwardly and down over the go f ball which encircles and holds it between them with a resilient gripping pressure, and then the golfer raises the lower end of the device up to his hands and takes hold of the golfball by inserting his fingers'betwe'en the resilient fingers and onto the ball, and pulls it straight out from between the resilient fingers. 1

My invention for picking up golfballs is very light to carry and it can be operated easily and quickly and without the hard Work ofbending over to the ground to reach them; and while I have illustrated and described the preferred construction and arrangement of it, I do not wish to be limited to the construction and arrangement shown and described, as changes may be made in it without departing from the-spirit of my invention.

Having described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

In a golf ball picking up device for golfers, the combination of the handle having a divided lower end, a sleeve fitting over said ends, means including a screw arranged to wedge said ends against the inside of said sleeve for securing said sleeve to said handle, said sleeve extending beyond the end of said handle and a plurality of flexible metal springs removably secured within the outer end of said sleeve and projecting from its end and arranged in a spherical circular form to rest on top of and be sprung down over to encircle. and resiliently ball between them, said springs emg preferably formed by folding two pieces of thin flat ribbon springs upon themselves to form looped ends that are inserted within the end of said sleeve and secured therein by a inserted transversely; through .said

grip a golf sleeve, and the loops of said flat ribbon" springs, said flat ribbon springs having their terminal ends arranged at a quarter circular distance apart to fit over a portion of the top surface of a. golf ball, and having their terminal ends curved outwardly and upwardly sufficiently to allow themto spring out and over and then inwardly to encircle and grip and hold a olf ball with resilient pressure, when place on top of a golf ball and pressed down over it.

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In testimony whereof, I aflix m8 si I NA I.

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